DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Warrior Run’s James Keifer, left, helps another Defender defend against Loyalsock’s Jalil Coates in a high school boys basketball game earlier this season.

The sport really does not matter. Whichever one he is playing, James Keifer often is at his best when the games mean the most.

Playing baseball last spring, he helped Warrior Run reach its first district championship since 2016. Come fall, he was among the area’s top quarterbacks and defensive backs as the Defenders made history and played in their first district final.

So, it should not be surprising that Keifer feels right at home on the basketball court this postseason. The junior point guard has been a steady presence all year but has again elevated his performance at the perfect time. He is a big reason the Defenders find themselves in the state tournament’s second round for the first time since 1999.

“That kid is a gamer. He just always rises to the occasion,” Warrior Run coach Eric Wertman said. “Nothing is ever too big for him. He never gets rattled. That probably goes to playing quarterback a little bit, and he’s a great baseball player. He’s been in big games all his life and I’m sure that plays into it.”

Keifer’s next big game comes tonight when Warrior Run faces West Catholic at Pottsville’s Martz Hall in the tournament’s Sweet 16. Keifer played, arguably, his best game last Saturday against Minersville, helping Warrior Run rally from 12 down in the third quarter to win, 49-48. Keifer scored a career and game-high 18 points in that game, while making 7 of 9 shots from the field.

This, after Keifer hit a series of clutch shots in the district final, scoring 17 points in a last-second 44-41 loss against Troy. Obviously, there is a lot more to impacting a game than scoring, but it still says a lot that a player who averaged 6.4 points per game during the regular season has produced 14.3 points in districts and states.

“I’m making sure I have confidence. We have shoot-arounds before games and I want to make sure 100 % that I feel confident going into the game with my shooting,” Keifer said. “I have so much trust in my teammates to give them the ball and for them to give me the ball.”

Whether facilitating, scoring or doing both, Keifer has excelled along with all his teammates, helping Warrior Run (21-7) enjoy its best season of the 2000s. He provides the Defenders an unflappable floor general, one who maintains the same demeanor whether they are winning or losing; whether the game is early or late. Keifer also was named to the Heartland Conference-III Defensive all-star team, so his influence reveals itself on both ends of the court.

And it was those two facets coming together which helped Warrior Run storm back against Minersville. Keifer scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and made all six of his shots from the field and line there. After Cooper Wilkins put Warrior Run ahead to stay, Keifer made two monster plays, which produced five consecutive points, starting the flurry with a steal which he converted into a reverse layup.

“The steal, I just predicted it. They were running the same play the whole game, so they ran up, set a screen and I tried to jump it the best I can and I got my hand on it and just took it down the court and got the and-one,” Keifer said. “It got the crowd lit. It was just a great feeling.”

Keifer made three steals and two of them he turned into four points. He also drained a 3-pointer which pulled Warrior Run within one late in the third quarter and the momentum carried into the fourth. He can do a bit of everything, but Keifer has gone into microwave-mode the last two games, quickly heating up from outside the arc and burying eight 3-pointers, almost all at crucial junctures.

“He’s great. I have confidence in our whole team, but when James is hot you have to get him the ball,” Landon Polcyn said after also helping ignite the comeback. “He can create his own shot no matter what. He can create it by himself. I trust him with the ball. If I lose the ball, I’m looking for him to get him the ball and let him do what he can do.”

Whatever the sport, Keifer can do a lot.

Each player has done his part to help Warrior Run enjoy its excellent season. Keifer flew under the radar throughout the season despite playing a vital role each night.

The only difference now is that spectators are really learning what his teammates and coaches long have known.

“I can’t say enough good things about James,” Wertman said. “He’s an awesome kid.”